Tertiary amines possessing an N-alkyl group are dealkylated in the presence of oxygen and a catalyst in polar solvents in U.S. Pat. No. 3,583,972 and Birkenmeyer et al. "LINCOMYCIN. XIII. N-DEALKYLATION OF LINCOMYCIN AND ITS ANALOGS", Tetrahedron Letters No. 58, pp. 5049-5051, 1970. The compounds prepared by the process of this invention are disclosed in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 150,530, filed May 16, 1980, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,771, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 020,172, now abandoned. Additionally, N-demethylated spectinomycins are disclosed by Rosenbrook et al., ACS Symposium Series No. 125, pp. 133-144 (1980). However, the reference claims that these compounds were totally inactive. Furthermore, no experimental details or structures are revealed therein. The disclosure that the N-demethylated spectinomycin compounds are bio-inactive is contrary to the finding of the compounds prepared by the present invention. In other words, it appears that Rosenbrook et al. have not isolated the materials. Therefore, the prior art does not teach the dealkylation in the presence of oxygen and a catalyst in polar solvents conducted on a secondary amine of the hydrochloride salt of spectinomycin or its presently known analogs. Processes modifying the actinamine ring of spectinomycin or its analogs is surprising in view of the high degree of functionality present in the molecule, the water-solubility of spectinomycin or its analogs, and the lability of the masked .alpha.-diketone system at carbons 2' and 3' (see Formula I for carbon numbering). Furthermore, exposure of spectinomycin or its analogs to mild alkaline conditions results in rearrangement yielding inactive actinospectinoic acid type molecules having the structure shown by Formula IV. Such rearrangement is of great importance since the C-3' carbonyl is required for optimal activity in an aminocyclitol antibiotic of which spectinomycin (Formula Ia) is a unique structure. Reduction of the C-3' ketone to give dihydrospectinomycins improves stability, but greatly reduces bioactivity. Furthermore, reoxidation of such dihydro compounds is difficult.